Researchers tag sand tiger shark off New York's Hamptons

A sand tiger shark was captured off a Hamptons beach in New York on Tuesday by marine biologist Greg Metzger, a researcher with the state’s coastal shark monitoring program. The juvenile specimen, described by Metzger as “young but powerful,” was netted during a routine sampling effort aimed at assessing the abundance and health of shark populations that frequent the Atlantic shoreline during the summer months.

The catch will be taken to the Marine Research Center in Long Island for biometric measurements, genetic sampling, and tagging before the animal is released back into its natural habitat. Data collected from this and similar encounters are intended to inform management strategies for sand tiger sharks, a species listed as vulnerable in the region, and to improve understanding of their seasonal movements along the New York coast.